Liverpool 2, West Ham 1 - Match Recap: Late Drama Popping Bubbles
A look back at the key moments in Liverpool’s almost perfect victory over West Ham in Premier League action.
Liverpool 2 - 1 West Ham
Liverpool: Diaz 18’, Van Dijk 88’
Bubbles: Bowen 85’
Pre-Match
A full week of rest, some lineup changes, and a definite answer to the Mohamed Salah contract question is what brings us into this match with West Ham. The rare loss last weekend was a road bump to be sure, but we have to believe that the Reds can come back from the skid and take control of the season once again against a team they’ve steamrolled earlier in the season. Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, and Luis Diaz all make returns to the starting XI, with Trent Alexander-Arnold still out injured and, well, Darwin Núñez nowhere to be found.
Let’s get going, Reds. Only 9 points now between us and the title, and three are on offer right this moment.
First Half
It is April 13, and so the match starts following the moment of silence for the 97 fans unlawfully killed in the Hillsborough Disaster. Emotion and the weight of history sit heavy but the whistle blows and things get going. The Reds take control and get into West Ham’s final third early, winning a corner just three minutes in, though the effort doesn’t get into anywhere productive. West Ham have barely gotten a sniff at the ball in these first five minutes, though Liverpool have been pushed further back but are able to counter quickly. Luis Diaz gets a shot off after Diogo Jota is unmanned in the middle of the park, but the chance is parried away.
Ten minutes in and it has still been all Liverpool, with 70% possession, though West Ham are doing slightly better to blunt our edges. Conor Bradley actually gets a shot off as well after a lovely bit of build up started by Ryan Gravenberch, but the shot takes a deflection and ends in another corner. The Reds are knocking at the door early on so it does feel like if they can maintain this focus and pressure, a goal or two will come. The man of the hour, Mo Salah picks up a long ball and is able to twist away from the one man marking him but uncharacteristically misses from short range.
Not for long though, as Konate sends a ball far ahead to the winger, who is able to tee up his 23rd assist to LUIS DIAZ FOR A GOAL! It is 1-0 to the home side and we can breathe a little easier.
Things looked dicey there for a second as Aaron Wan-Bissaka nearly has a chance, but it is dealt with quickly if a little sloppily, and Liverpool are back on the march. A second goal before the break would be great insurance and a pop of West Ham’s bubble, and with twenty minutes left to go it could surely happen.
There is another chance for Liverpool around the 36th minute, as Salah follows a ball into the box but through some shoddy defending is taken down near the West Ham goalkeeper and not given a penalty for some reason. Liverpool have been precise and organized this whole half, cleaning up their second passes and making sure that they remain threatening. There is a moment of fear as West Ham win a corner kick and James Ward-Prowse sends in a peach but the headed shot goes over the crossbar and the whistle is blown for halftime.
Second Half
The second goal didn’t come in the first half, and no changes were made during the break so we go into the second half as we finished the first. Kostas Tsimikas gets tripped by a trailing foot just outside the box and the Reds get a free kick, with Alexis Mac Allister stepping up to take it in Trent’s absence. His effort hits the crossbar much to the chagrin of the crowd, and Liverpool are able to keep the pressure up and win a corner kick that is well defended.
There is a chance for a Liverpool penalty, as James Ward-Prowse uses his hand to block the ball following a corner kick delivered by Mac Allister, and though it isn’t noticed in the moment, VAR takes the opportunity to deny Liverpool once again. The match has been slightly more even in these opening ten minutes of the second half, and Arne Slot makes some surprising early changes, bringing on Cody Gakpo for Diogo Jota, and Andy Robertson for Kostas Tsimikas. The Greek Scouser has actually had a lovely match doing his best on the left side of the park, so hopefully he isn’t holding onto a knock or anything in this last stretch of the season.
Conor Bradley has also been particularly sharp in his first start since getting injured, providing the sort of defensive and offensive abilities we’ve come to expect from the youngster. This is the Liverpool we know well, putting the performance last week out of our minds and proving just why yes they are deserved champions this year.
West Ham has gotten slightly more into this match after the changes, with two more changes coming in the 67th minute as Jarrell Quansah comes on for Bradley, and Dominik Szoboszlai for Curtis Jones. It feels as though maybe Arne Slot has decided rotating a little more is actually beneficial, as Liverpool now focus more on defending their small lead rather than building on it (which is fine, it’s fine). Salah has been more effectively shutdown as well, which has been proving to be one of the problems in this half, as we’ve lost a little bit of something since the first changes came on.
Getting the ball to any of our forwards has become somehow more difficult for Liverpool in these last fifteen or so minutes as we’ve changed into a more defensive shape, shored up even further by the substitution of Wataru Endo, but the change is held off after Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson collide and Robbo receives assessment. The Scot hops up eventually and Endo does come on for Mohamed Salah, changing the shape once again. Unfortunately, it is not enough as our defenders fail to communicate, leading to the almost inevitable West Ham goal from Jarrod Bowen. Now with slightly more than five minutes left Liverpool have fire up again and find a winner, and fast. AND IT HAPPENS! VIRGIL VAN DIJK WITH AN ALMOST TRADEMARK HEADER AT THE 88TH MINUTE! LIVERPOOL ARE BACK AHEAD!
There are 7 minutes of added time thanks to all the corners and Robbo’s hit, but the confidence is back that we could get through this with the three points.
Final Thoughts
It looked dicey there for a good twenty minutes but Virgil Van Dijk clearly told himself “you know what, I’ll take this one for the team” and pulled a win out when we needed it most. 6 points left, if Arsenal doesn’t lose and we could be celebrating #20 in two weeks time.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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